Gaiter.



1. SCHUBEL.

GAITER.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 2. 19%2.

1 1 99,436 Patented Sept. 26, 1916.

Fig.1.

WITNESSES: //Vy F/Y TAR rm: NORRIS PETERS co., WASHINGTON, v. c.

IGNAZ SCHIIBEL, 0F BERLIN, GERMANY.

GAI'I'ER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 26,1916.

Application filed July 2, 1912. Serial No. 707,232.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, IGNAZ SoHiiBEL,subject of the King of Prussia,residing at No. 3 Kochstrasse, Berlin, Prussia, German Empire, haveinvented new and useful Improvements in Gaiters, of which the followingis a specification.

My invention has special reference to a new and useful improvement in orrelating to a fastener for gaiters or leggings, shoes, corsets or likewearing apparel, and particularly to that type of fastener, in which arack member fixed to one part of the gaiter, legging, shoes or likewearing apparel is intended to be passed into a guide-way and engaged bya spring catch secured to the other part of the gaiter, legging, shoe orlike wearing apparel.

It has been already proposed to apply a fastener to gaiters, leggings,shoes, corsets or other wearing apparel the fastener having a curvedtoothed metal strap secured at the one edge of the wearing apparel,which metal strap is locked and held in the locked position by a springpressed ratchet. The hitherto known constructions of this class have thedisadvantage that in undoing the wearing apparel or in adjusting thelocking position the fastener must always be held fast by hand in theunlocked position; therefore the undoing of the wearing apparel or theadjusting of the locking position can be effected only by both hands;for by one hand the locking member must be held out of engagement withthe curved toothed metal strap and by the other hand the desiredadjusting of the locking members can be operated. It is obvious that theundoing of a wearing apparel provided with such a fastener is verywasteful of time.

The object of my invention is to provide a fastener which, can morereadily be unlocked with only one hand and held automatically in theunlocked position.

A further object of my invention is to provide a very effective fastenerwhich is very cheaply manufactured, durable and not affecting thefashionable aspect of the gaiter 0r legging.

In'compliance with my invention I provide at or near the longitudinaledge of one side of the gaiter a short metal strap slightly curved toadapt itself to the round outside to the leg and I provide also at ornear the longitudinal edge of the opposite side of the gaiter or legginga suitable guide-way t0 receive said metal strap, said guide-way be1ngprovided with suitable locking means for engaging said metal strap andretaining the same in the locked position. Said look ing means areadapted to be automatically engaged by the metal strap when pushed intosaid guide-way, for closing or looking the gaiter, and also to bereadily released from engagement with the said metal strap, when thegaiter is desired to be opened or put off. In providing the saidguide-way or guide-ways at or near one of the longitudinal edges of thegaiter, I prefer to form the metal-blade generally employed forstiffening the leather of the gaiter along said longitudinal edge, witha cranked portion or recess opposite the metal strap secured at or nearthe longitudinal edge of the opposite side of the gaiter. Thus, inapplying the gaiter, the said curved metal strap requires only to bepushed into the said guide-way at the opposite side, and when the saidstrap has been sufficiently pushed through the said guide-way to makethe gaiter fit well, the locking-device will automatically engage thesaid metal strap and lock the same in the desired position.

In order that my invention can be clearly understood and carried intoeffect, an embodiment of my invention is illustrated by way of anexample by the accompanying drawings in which- Figure 1 shows theimproved fastening means applied to the lower end of a gaiter; the upperleather of the gaiter is partly shown broken away to better disclose thefastening means below. Fig. 2 is a cross-section drawn on line AB ofFig. 1; the looking means are shown in the locked position. Fig. 3 is alongitudinal section drawn to line CD of Fig. 1;. the locking means areshown out of engagement. Fig. f is a similar section to Fig. 3, thelocking means being shown in the locked position.

Referring to Figs. 1-4 a is the upper side of a gaiter and b the lowerside of the same. Along the longitudinal edge of the said upper side a,a metal blade 1 is secured between the leather and its lining forstifiening and strengthening the leather in the well known manner. 2indicates a cranked portion integral with the metal blade 1, hereinaftercalled the stiffening blade, and forming a guide-way. To the lower end 6of the gaiter or legging a curved toothed metal strap 6 is secured byits rear end, as shown in Fig. 1, the free forward end of the strapbeing adapted to be inserted in the guide-way 2 in its normal or lockedposition. The teeth 8 formed in the metal strap are preferably integralwith the metal strap and have their inclined back directed to the front(Fig. 2). The curved metal strap or rack member 6 has a centrallongitudinal slot 13 cut in it. The curved metal strap 6 is heldnormally in its locked position by means of a spring plate 3 extendingacross the cranked portion 2. The one or lower end of the spring isriveted or otherwise secured to the stiffening blade 1, the free end apasses through a hole or slot 5 provided in the stiffening blade 1 andunderlying the same in a proper distance. The said spring 3 normallybears flatly against the metal strap in the space between two teeth 8 ofthe metal strap 6 and holds the latter in its locked position as clearlyshown from Figs. 1 and 2. It is obvious from the foregoing that when theon red metal strap 6 is being shifted into the guide-way, below the saidspring 3 crossing the cranked portion 2 the spring 3 will slide over theback of said teeth 8 and automatically catch behind the steep side ofone of the teeth 8 as soon as the metal strap 6 is no farther pushed on.Said metal strap 6 thus will be locked against being Withdrawn from theguide-way 2 and underneath the spring 3 and the two sides of the gaiteror legging are fastened to each other in such position as has beenselected by more or less shifting the strap 6 into the guide-way 2 ofthe stiffening blade 1. The tightness of such fastening position may beadjusted by pushing the strap 6 farther on or by withdrawing it for thelength 'of a tooth 8 or more by only one hand.

In order to release the spring catch 3 from engagement with the rackmember 6 I provide according to my invention a. key 9 having a flat stemand a handle or finger piece 10 projecting outside the legging orgaiter. The flat stem has a contracted or cylindrical portion by whichit is enabled to turn within a. bearing 12 provided on the lower surfaceof the spring 3. Normally, the stem of said key takes a positionparallel to the flat spring 3, but on giving said key 9 a quarter of aturn by the side of said handle 10, the edge of the flat key will strikethe bottom of the cranked portion 2, as shown in Fig. 3, and the spring3, there by, will be raised and lifted out of engagement with the teeth8 of the strap 6; the said strap 6, then, may be withdrawn. On turningthe said key 9, its flat portion turns within the longitudinal slot 13of the metalstrap 6.

It is obvious that the spring 3 will be held automatically out ofengagement with the rack member and the key 9 will be prevented fromaccidentally turning bv friction of the spring occurring upon the key inwhatever position the key is brought.

In the illustration the fastener is shown applied to gaiters orleggings, however it can be applied to garments, shoes, corsets, orother wearing apparel without departing from the idea of my invention.

Having now fully described and ascertained the nature of my inventionand the manner by which it may be performed, what I claim as myinvention is;

1. In a fastener for gaiters or leggings the combination of a guide-waywith locking means comprising a rack member secured to the lower side ofthe gaiters or leggings at one end, the free end being adapted to engagethe said guide-way and a spring catch and with a key adapted to releasethe spring catch. out of engagement with the rack member and holdautomatically the same in the unlocked position.

2. In a fastener for gaiters or leggings the combination of a guide-wayintegral with the stiffening blade of the gaiters or leggings withlocking means comprising a rack member secured to the lower side of thegaiters or leggings at one end, the free end being adapted to engage thesaid guideway, and a spring catclnand with a key adapted to release thesaid spring catch out of engagement with the rack member andautomatically hold the same in the unlocked position.

3. In a fastener for gaiters or leggings the combination of a guideewayforming a part of the stiifening blade, with locking means comprising arack member fixed at one end to the lower side of gaiters or leggings,the free end being adapted to engage the said guide-way, and a springcatch consisting of a spring plate extending across the guide-waynormally bearing against the said rack member, fixed at the one end tothe said stiffening blade, the free end passing through a slot or holeprovided in the stiffening blade and underlying the same in a properdistance, and with a key adapted to release the saidspring catch out ofengagement with the said rack member and automatically holding the samein the unlocked position.

at. In a fastener for gaiters or leggings the combination of a guide-wayforming a part of the stiffening blade, with locking means comprising arack, member fixed at the one end to the lower side of gaiters orleggings, the free end being adapted to the same in a proper distance,and With a key adapted to release the spring catch out of engagementwith the said rack member and to automatically hold the same in thisposition, the key having a flat stem and a handle or finger-piece, projccting outside the gaiter or legging, the stem being provided with 21contracted or cylindrical portion journaled in a recess of the saidspring catch and adapted to raise the spring catch 10 out of engagement.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing Witnesses.

IGNAZ SCHUBEL.

lVitnesses:

HENRY HAsPER, VOLDEMAR HAUPT.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

